hamlet

I eat only very few kinds of seafood (most not available at an affordable price in Italy) and I never starved there.

Besides not really eating seafood, I don't eat cheese, I don't drink wine, I don't drink coffee and I don't smoke. Italians think I'm strange... but somehow I've made 10 trips there and back and survived!

Colleena

ah that was another thing I was worried about not drinking wine and people thinking I was rude. I keep hearing wine this wine that wine with...wine wine wine... my husband doesn't care for it and I don't really either. Especially when trying to keep costs down. I think our biggest splurge food wise will be desserts.

tcreath

I don't eat any seafood either. None at all. I haven't had a problem on any of my travels. Italy is very easy because, as mentioned above, the abundance of pizza, pasta and panini. You should be fine. Trust me, if I can manage to avoid seafood in Japan, Italy is a piece of cake!

Tracy

i_am_kane

When you are in the Cinque Terre, try a pasta dish topped with pesto sauce.

The Ligurians make wonderful pesto sauce; however, the recipe may vary from town to town.

Another sauce I had while in the Ligurian region was walnut sauce over ravioli. Stupendous!

As the other posters have commented, you will not have any problems finding food that pleases you.

tuscanlifeedit

Even before I learned phrases for take away food (da portare via: carry in street, very loosely translated) I would just make a little walking motion with my fingers and never had trouble getting take away food. Per favore, da portare via, will get you what you need.

It will be easy to tell when you can eat at the counter, when you should get take away, or when it is ok to sit at a table. I wouldn't assume that every place with a bar finds it ok for you to sit at a table. It seems to me that it is fairly easy to figure out. If there is no wait staff, and a room full of empty seats (quite casual places, with no table cloths) and you are given china plates and silver, why then I would assume that it is ok to sit.

You will find lots of things to eat.

I too was nervous about wine. Everyone asks and I just say, "no, no vino, grazie." They never care.

The only person that ever made a fuss about it, during many trips to Italy, was an actual Roman with whom I was eating dinner. Couldn't believe I didn't want wine.

jdraper

Colleena: One of my most memorable meals was wine, cheese, bread and fruit eaten on stairs leading down to the grand canal in Venice. We just gathered our little lunch at various shops and produce stands as we walked around town and sat down to eat at a convenient spot. It was wonderful.

You are not obligated to drink wine and, although we do drink a great deal of wine when in Italy, we have had many meals with only water and received no raised eyebrows. The biggest problem you will have if you don't drink wine is breaking the wallet if you order sodas. They are very expensive and you will do better just drinking water or even juice.

Have a great trip. J

Colleena

Sodas are expensive-Really? I wouldn't have thought sodas were expensive... hmm, well I guess lots of water and juice! lol.

LilyLace

Very good point about sodas - they are very expensive! Concerning wine - my husband and I don't drink at all and have never had a problem. If people think we are strange - well so be it! It is our choice after all!

You are very smart to spend your extra money on dessert! May I suggest, pop into one of the many little bakeries and choose a couple of the many tiny delights in the glass cases! You can just point to what you want - we often get 2 for each of us as they are small - and we are on holiday! Take them to your hotel for an afternoon refresher or late night treat before bed!

We often do this instead of ordering at the place we have dinner. It works out well because we are normally too full just after dinner to enjoy it AND it is a much less expensive too.

Padraig

Should we link LilyLace's advice on dessert to the thread on sharing meals?

Zerlina

Or perhaps to the thread about taking peanut butter to Europe to cut down on expenses?

Dejais

Colleena...I am another person who does not drink wine and who is severely allergic to seafood containing iodine (shrimp, lobster) and I survive just fine in Italy. Don't sweat it. You will find plenty to eat and drink! And yes, soda is very expensive but when you want a diet Coke on a hot day, it is worth every penny. We always purchased it at stores (like delis, groceries) not cafes and saved a ton. Usually in a "deli" it would cost 2E or so and at a cafe 5-7E.

LilyLace

Padraig and Zerlina,

I have often read of the bores who troll this sight just to insult a poster. I kindly suggest that in the future you keep the rudeness to yourselves.

I am only guessing that your reference to peanut butter and shared meals is to a post of another kind fodorite who simply tried to give advice?

The past 15 years I have visited many countries for my job (75% of my time in fact was "on the road&quot.

My husband and I travel overseas several times a year for pleasure and have been to most of the major cities (some many times). We have enjoyed some of the most famous dining and hotels in the world (yes check world).

If we choose to have a local treat and if I share that experience here it is my business, not yours.

By the way, one of the very best meals I've ever enjoyed was at my customer's castle in Spain. In the pro kitchen of his castle, sitting on the cool floor 5 of us (customer, his brother, son, my translater and me) ate parma cheese, olives, cherries and cold smoked meat, we drank wine from his own vinyard. Put that on your list too - because you obviously have not lived much.

From your comments you have never enjoyed the wonderful bakeries and delis of Europe - which is very sad. In fact, I would be willing to bet that you have never even been to Europe in the first place - or if so, maybe on a package deal, which is fine but you would not have had the type of experience I speak about.

My point in all this is that you don't know me. Please allow everyone here to post as they like without ignorant comments.

raspberry7

oooh, has anybody hit anybody's nerve?

LilyLace

Yes, Rasberrry my nerve has been hit. It takes alot to annoy me I admit.

These two are just petty and tacky. Sorry I can't stand it when people act hauty and yet have no idea of real class.

Peace to you.

Pvoyageuse

I don't see what's so classy about eating olives, cold meat and cherries on the floor. I do it all the time. However I avoid parma cheese in Spain and stick to manchego for authenticity.

Josser

Padraig and Zerlina,

To the naughty step with you both.

If you continue to "troll this sight" alot
and act "hauty", we shall have to link this thread to the Advice/Advise topic.

LilyLace

It seems now I've hit a few nerves lol! My goodness! Now I know how all of those bickerings get going on here. Sorry to have cause so many of you stress.......

GSteed

Seafood is difficult to serve palatably. Once killed it quickly spoils! Great care and attention need be given to it. Good restaurants know how to do this. Gourmands prefer fish/seafood to meat or fowl. I don't like carp or squid or octopus. I like salmon, trout, and oysters. Try a bit of what the others have ordered...lemon juice and special sauces can enhance the flavor/taste of most seafood.

Colleena

Lilylace you are absolutely right-
Padraig and Zerlina are a bunch of jerks who search for people to make fun of unfortunately there are a ton of them on this site. It is refreshing to see I am not the only one who thinks so...

Colleena

I should have clarified there are a bunch of jerks on this site... they make fun of anyone who has a question, they make fun of clothing, book tastes food tastes and anyone who has anything remotely helpful... I think they are just a bunch of lonely people who have never traveled.